Minnesota Vikings' Chad Greenway keeping his head in the game, despite father's illness

MANKATO, Minn. -- Chad Greenway got the phone call, grabbed the keys and blasted down the lonely highway to be with his dad.

In the middle of a May night, Alan Greenway had suffered complications from leukemia. Alan's fungal infection, a result of chemotherapy, had spread to his brain.

Greenway was racing, but the 100-mile trek to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester couldn't have felt longer. Such a drive -- what it forces you to think about -- can change you, Greenway said.

"You have nobody to blame," the Vikings linebacker said. "You get guarded. Even when things are good, you're thinking about the next problem over the hill. We're just glad he survived."

Since Alan was diagnosed May 10, Greenway has done a lot of thinking, a lot of praying and a lot of driving. While the Vikings were conducting offseason workouts, Greenway was back and forth from Rochester, where Alan underwent a series of stays, and the family farm in Mount Vernon, S.D., where Alan is currently.

For Greenway, that overnight drive was probably the worst personal moment of the last three months. But there's hope now. Alan's immune system is strengthening. He's considered in remission and might get an extended stay in the clinic for the best treatment.

With the aggressive nature of leukemia, the Greenways are prepared for more battles. For now, Greenway is busy savoring the good in his life, feeling emboldened by his dad's strength and a refreshed outlook on the field.

"Trivial things these days, you brush them off," Greenway said.

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"You realize what's important."

TIME TO GO

The Vikings encouraged Greenway to be with Alan, causing the Pro Bowl linebacker to miss part of the team's offseason training program in May and part of June. Football would be there when he was ready.

At times, Greenway wanted to be in two places at once. He knew he wanted offseason work with the team, even if his heart was elsewhere. He did his best, attending the three-day minicamp in late June before returning to South Dakota.

Once training camp drew closer, Alan made the decision easy for his son.

"He said, 'Go. I'm doing great.' He had a smile on his face," Greenway said. "It makes it easier on him that he knows I'm where I need to be."

Growing up on the family farm, Greenway was taught by his father to complete the task at hand without complaining. It's a "no B.S." mentality, Greenway calls it. Work until you're tired, then work some more.

That's why Greenway wasn't surprised when Alan, who politely declined comment for this story, displayed resilience throughout the past four months.

But along the way, Greenway surprised himself, too. Though his father's on his mind every day, he's savoring his time on the field more than ever. He's made a personal pledge to enjoy the game rather than stress about performing.

He knows the feeling of the latter all too well.

'I JUST HAVE TO PLAY MY GAME'

When Greenway's at his best, former teammate and friend Ben Leber says, he's jawing at teammates, joking and playing loose, pressure free.

When Greenway signed his five-year, $41 million extension in September, Leber remembers a conversation that foreshadowed things.

"We kind of joked around about, 'Wow, you got a little pressure on you now,' " said Leber, a Vikings linebacker from 2006-10. "We kind of laughed it off."

Both knew it was more than a joke to Greenway, who took the Vikings' investment seriously. Through that process, he admittedly pressed a little. Though he made the Pro Bowl with a career-high 154 tackles, the number of big plays was down. He had zero interceptions and zero takeaways.

The losing didn't help. Even before the family illness, Greenway was thinking of ways to cleanse himself of last season.

"You realize you have to be who you are," he said. "I just have to play my game."

That means having more fun on the field. During training camp, Greenway playfully ripped on everyone from Adrian Peterson after he dropped a pass to the media's practice attire.

Of course, attitude doesn't always translate to on-field production. Injuries and inexperience last season left plenty of open gaps for offenses to attack, and the linebackers were in the line of fire.

Greenway is encouraged by a deeper secondary and tweaks to the scheme under new coordinator Alan Williams. Leber hopes that involves Greenway making plays in the passing game.

"To show Chad's true talents is when the Vikings have the lead and Chad can go sideline to sideline and make plays," Leber said.

JUGGLING ACT

Sometimes, Greenway still feels guilty because he isn't with his dad all the time. An extended stay in Mayo would not only get Alan the best treatment; it would allow Greenway to help the family even more.

Greenway already has thought about ways he can squeeze a lift, a practice, a film session and a drive to Rochester into one day.

He won't be helping alone. His sisters also are heavily involved in their dad's care, and the Vikings have been supportive, Greenway said.

Balancing football and family life has been taxing at times, but Greenway can't think of anything he'd rather do.

"I'm not the first person to deal with something like this," he said. "Eventually you have to realize you have to go back to work, so you try to be supportive to both sides the best you can and get through it together."

Sometimes Greenway thinks back to that lonely night on the road and how far the family has come. Others recognize how far he's come. Leber says Greenway handled the situation with patience and grace.

Greenway's done a lot of smiling lately. He doesn't know exactly how his father made what he calls a "very miraculous" improvement, other than his strong immune system and blessings from above, but he'll certainly take it.

When Greenway's having a rough day, he can still call dad. They can talk football or whatever else comes up.